Summary: The effect of gamma-neutron brachy therapy was monitored by DNA flow cytometry in 50 women with stage II—III uterine cervix carcinomas. The patients were subdivided into 3 groups according to different gamma/neutron dose ratios. There were 9/11 (82%), 13/19 (68%) and 12/20 (60%) DNA flow cytometric responders after 56 Gy-eq, 41 Gy-eq and 20 Gy-eq respectively. In DNA diploid tumors (n=30) 5/6 (83%), 8/11 (73%) and 7/13 (54%) responded with more than 50% decrease of the proliferation index after 56,41 and 20 Gy-eq respectively. Among DNA aneuploid tumors (n=20) the extinction of an aneuploid subpopulation could be seen in 4/5 (80%), 5/8 (63%) and 5/7 (71%) cases after the same doses. DNA aneuploid tumor with more pronounced genomic instability responded to therapy fastly within two weeks while the responses in DNA diploid tumors occured more gradually several weeks later. DNA flow cytometric analysis is a simple and reproducible method for detection of radiotherapy induced changes in individual tumor. Its application in gamma-neutron brachytherapy of uterine cervix carcinomas contributes to die better understanding of this new treatment, which has to prove yet its superiority over the standard radiotherapeutic techniques in correlation with therapeuric outcome after the longer follow-up.
The effect of gamma-neutron brachytherapy in uterine cervix carcinomas estimated by DNA flow cytometry
